There is a detailed article on the whereabouts of Mirjana Lucic in todays New York Daily News. She still wants to make a comeback but needs sponsorhip help to do so. I hope Anna Kournikova or someone wealthy will help Lucic financially so she can try a full fledged comeback. Mirjana looks to be in top shape and seems happier than she's been in years. :D But this poor girl has been through so much that the emotional scars of the horrible treatment from her father will probably always be there. :( But this article also unveils that Mirjana has had major problems with IMG for years and I knew nothing about this. I just hope she can concentrate on tennis at some point and really try to make a comeback. :) The article called "Court Of Last Resort" is located at www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/415434p-351072c.html (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/415434p-351072c.html)

Viktymise

May 7th, 2006, 05:30 PM

Ahhh poor her

spiceboy

May 7th, 2006, 05:37 PM

It has been, in many ways, a grim and narrow existence for Lucic these last three years. She is persona non grata in her IMG-owned community, and doesn't even have a car. Without the estimated $100,000 it would cost to travel even part-time with a coach, Lucic stays close to home, trains and hopes she can find someone to sponsor her. In her spare time, she'll flop on the white leather couch in her condo and watch archaeological digs on the History Channel, though most of all she likes to watch tennis. Her mother and sisters tried to hide the remote in the beginning, but it didn't work. Big tournament or small, if tennis is on the screen, Lucic watches it, as often as not through a veil of tears. When she sees Maria Sharapova or Svetlana Kuznetsova or one of the other new girls winning tournaments, walking away with huge checks, the pangs of what she had cut through her like daggers.

Mirjana :sad: :kiss:

Perfection

May 7th, 2006, 05:38 PM

Comeback possibility + fitness = :bounce:

Please do so, Mirjana! The tour needs something new desperately. :o She'll pull a Capriati, you watch and see at Australian Open 2007!

-sugi-

May 7th, 2006, 05:39 PM

that is so sad :sad: I hope she can come back

HTE

May 7th, 2006, 05:40 PM

Horrible reading :sad:

I really hope that Mirjana can make a comeback, she was such a great talent, and seemed like a really nice person. Sadly I doubt that she can overcome all those emotinal and physcical problems she has been inflicted through her career. The road back to the top seems endless and I wonder if it's even worth it for her to try...

Best of luck to her whatever she spends the rest of her life doing :9

goldenlox

May 7th, 2006, 05:46 PM

It's very hard to make a successful comeback.
But the work ethic she used in tennis, she can be successful at a different job.

croat123

May 7th, 2006, 05:48 PM

news about mirjana :eek:

poor girl :sad: but she really sounded positive about the future!

the cat

May 7th, 2006, 05:50 PM

The downfalls of Mirjana Lucic and Jelena Dokic are eerily similar in that both of their downfalls in the tennis world stemmed from controlling and abusive fathers who made their daughters lives a living hell and that triggered both their downfalls in tennis after such early promise in their careers. I hope Mirjana and Jelena are happy and that they make successful comebacks to the WTA Tour. :) But they will need solid financial backing to do so.

GL, I don't know if Mirjana could put as much effort into another job as she did in tennis. But I hope she can because if her tennis career is over then she will need to find another career to work in.

GoDominique

May 7th, 2006, 05:51 PM

I hope Anna Kournikova or someone wealthy will help Lucic financially so she can try a full fledged comeback.
:haha:

the cat

May 7th, 2006, 05:54 PM

GD, Anna has the money and it will take some serious money to help Mirjana Lucic in her comeback attempt. If not Anna then someone else will have to step forward to help out Mirjana with her financial needs.

Cat's Pajamas

May 7th, 2006, 06:03 PM

has she always been (how do I put this nicely) a big girl? That pic in the article is :eek: I was young when she was around so I dont know much about her but I would lover for her to come back!

Cat's Pajamas

May 7th, 2006, 06:11 PM

what a great article btw! now i really want her to come back :sad:

spiceboy

May 7th, 2006, 06:15 PM

I hope Mirjana and Jelena are happy and that they make successful comebacks to the WTA Tour. :) But they will need solid financial backing to do so.

OK guys, please stop saying nonsense...

Money is not a problem...Mirjana needing a coach? Well as any player on tour...and not everyone has one. That's the start, tough for Mirjana but tough for the rest of the players as well. But Mirjana has the talent and the past (winner of WTA titles, GS singles semifinalist, GS doubles winner, multiple junior GS winner) to find some sponsors and what the hell, in the worst scenario do like everyone else...go to these extremely weak $10K US tournaments during the summer where she should win so easily (I mean, Mirjana at only 10% of her capability should own those) and start getting money from them. In a few months Mirjana would get to a reasonable top 200 ranking where she can hire a coach, and climb where she belongs...

Go Mirjana :bounce:

kabuki

May 7th, 2006, 06:18 PM

Wow. I can't believe that there is not some fat cat out there who would pony up 100k to give her a chance. I feel so sorry for her, even if that article is only 10% accurate. :sad:

Cat's Pajamas

May 7th, 2006, 06:20 PM

OK guys, please stop saying nonsense...

Money is not a problem...Mirjana needing a coach? Well as any player on tour...and not everyone has one. That's the start, tough for Mirjana but tough for the rest of the players as well. But Mirjana has the talent and the past (winner of WTA titles, GS singles semifinalist, GS doubles winner, multiple junior GS winner) to find some sponsors and what the hell, in the worst scenario do like everyone else...go to these extremely weak $10K US tournaments during the summer where she should win so easily (I mean, Mirjana at only 10% of her capability should own those) and start getting money from them. In a few months Mirjana would get to a reasonable top 200 ranking where she can hire a coach, and climb where she belongs...

Go Mirjana :bounce:

it said in the article she doesn't have enough money to get a car so I think she has to wait for tournaments that are near her to play in :sad: I hope she gets that sponsor!

goldenlox

May 7th, 2006, 06:38 PM

GD, Anna has the money and it will take some serious money to help Mirjana Lucic in her comeback attempt. If not Anna then someone else will have to step forward to help out Mirjana with her financial needs.There are more important issues for Anna

Anna visiting the site of hurricane Katrina
http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/8232/annak07818hm.jpg

tennisrox

May 7th, 2006, 06:51 PM

What a terrible story. Its even worse than the Dokic fiasco. :sad:
Its so sad to see promising young players whose lives have been ruined by crazy parents. I hope she finds some financial help, and makes a comeback.

Dana Marcy

May 7th, 2006, 06:54 PM

A promising career that never happened. :sad:

the cat

May 7th, 2006, 06:59 PM

Spiceboy, money is a problem for Mirjana Lucic. But I agree with you that she should be playing some small Challenger tournaments in America to start her comeback.

GL, it's nice to see Anna helping out with the Hurricane Katrina victims. :)

Lulu.

May 7th, 2006, 07:10 PM

That article was really :sad:

I hope somebody will help her. She seems very eager and determined to comeback so If someone helped her It doesnt seem that they would be dissapointed

selesfan1

May 7th, 2006, 07:22 PM

Ok, but what about the stories of Mirjana not willing to accept wild cards unless they were maindraw. The stories of Mirjana not wanting to associate with other croatians. The stories of Mirjana saying she was too good to play in challengers. The contracts with Fila and Prince not to mention her tournament winnings. Just a lot of things haven't added up with her.IN the article it says she only had $23,000 after she left croatia but there are reports of her saying she went shopping on 5th avenue at Fendi, Prada and other places. I am sorry but if I only have $23,000 that is not where I am going to spend money.There are several satellite events near to her home. it wouldn't be that hard to get a job even at McDonald's( i hears she worked ata gas station at one point) get on a greyhound bus or event rent a cheap ass car with a couple of other players and share a Motel 6 room with other players. I mean it makes it seem the only place to launch a comeback is in the maindraw of a sla or tier I.

Goodness, go to Goran and ask him for a loan or something. Maybe even Iva Majoli or someone like that would help her out. I don't doubt the abuse happened or that she was in a crunch but it seems to me she is trying to put the blame on one thing when in large part ot could have been some of her own fault.However, even though with this article I don't think we'll ever really know what happened. I wish Mirjana success but there are players in worse financial situations playing on the tour she should speak to some of them.

vogus

May 7th, 2006, 07:23 PM

Lucic's problem is she thinks that, as a former star, she is too good for the the rank-and-file girls who sweat it traveling on the challenger circuit week-in, week-out. She's had more opportunities and money and wildcards thrown her way than 99 percent of the other girls. She could have been playing full time for the last three years if she were a hard worker. I have no sympathy for her.

Better to spend a sponsorship on a player who is willing to work her way up from the trenches, instead of just demanding wildcards to major events.

Lulu.

May 7th, 2006, 07:27 PM

has she always been (how do I put this nicely) a big girl? That pic in the article is :eek: I was young when she was around so I dont know much about her but I would lover for her to come back!

Wow...I was just looking at that picture and Im wondering if that picture is recent because they claimed in the article that she was fit and healty :unsure:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/815-lucic_return.JPG

Zauber

May 7th, 2006, 07:29 PM

wow
I had allways wondered what had happened to her.
Its allmost impossible in professional sports without a sponsor.
The changing body of a maturing female athlete is very tough for some to keep in top shape.
Monica Seles, Serena Williams
I am sincere in this. Oh well I can see all the silly rediculous flags that will come my way.

Craigy

May 7th, 2006, 07:30 PM

Wow...I was just looking at that picture and Im wondering if that picture is recent because they claimed in the article that she was fit and healty :unsure:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/815-lucic_return.JPG
No it's not a recent pic. In the background it says "estyle" that was a tournament in 2001 or something I think...

spiceboy

May 7th, 2006, 07:30 PM

Spiceboy, money is a problem for Mirjana Lucic.

I have no doubts, the cat.

But I know some girls who are really struggling going tournament to tournament in old vans with other girls, trying to fulfil a dream that most probably will never happen. Mirjana has won a Grand Slam, has won matches in Wimbledon CC and several top 10 players.

She'll be back to the top 100 and will make a decent living (too early to predict anything further than that) seeing her tremendous potential and seeing that she says she's ready to get back on track. It's only a matter of time.

But hello, today there are hundreds of possibilities to get a sponsorship and players who have done virtually nothing got one. Just say that you just turned 24 and have had a win over Monica Seles in Wimbledon CC and several Grand Slam wins...believe me, either she's got a terrible sense of self promotion or she would have lots of offers in no time :angel:

Meesh

May 7th, 2006, 07:30 PM

That's so sad, I hope she can get enough money to start off in small tournies and work her way up to getting a coach. :sad:

Lulu.

May 7th, 2006, 07:33 PM

No it's not a recent pic. In the background it says "estyle" that was a tournament in 2001 or something I think...

Oh ok. Thanks

vogus

May 7th, 2006, 07:38 PM

GD, Anna has the money and it will take some serious money to help Mirjana Lucic in her comeback attempt. If not Anna then someone else will have to step forward to help out Mirjana with her financial needs.

nobody owes Lucic a dime. I'm sure she has had some sponsor offers, but what she wants is a really big offer, a contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And the people who put up that kind of money have decided, correctly imo, that there are simply better bets than a 24-year old Mirjana Lucic who has barely played competetive tennis for five years.

WhatTheDeuce

May 7th, 2006, 07:41 PM

Come back Mirjana :rocker2: :hearts:

tenn_ace

May 7th, 2006, 07:51 PM

good luck to Mirjana to find sponsors and to make come back:wavey:

the cat

May 7th, 2006, 07:55 PM

You're right Vogus nobody owes Lucic a dime. Unless it's IMG who she has sued before. And I doubt Mirjana will land a big sponsorship deal after having not played tennis for so long. But she still seems to think she might get the financial backing she needs.

Spiceboy, maybe Mirjana will have to get a real job and try to support her tennis career that way even though it would be difficult to do. I understand there are many hungry tennis players out there playing in the minor leagues of tennis for very little money and travelling the least expensive way possible. That'sd a tough life to live and I respect those who do it. I think Mirjana is hoping that she will still be sponsored by someone or a company that can afford to since she's had some excellent tennis moments in her career.

Selesfan1, what you say about Mirjana not wanting to associate with the other Croations and thinking she was too good for Challengers might be true. I would just hope that reality and maturing some in the past few years has changed Mirjana for the better. I wish her good luck in her comeback attempt. :) But if it doesn't happen Mirjana will have to get over it and go on with life.

Ballbasher

May 7th, 2006, 07:58 PM

Thank you very much :hug:
Mirjana,come back pls :sad: :sad:

lukehingis

May 7th, 2006, 07:59 PM

what a terrible ordeal she had to go through! First the abuse then the IMG issue....

just hope she can give tennis one final shot... she's too talented not to...

Derek.

May 7th, 2006, 08:01 PM

I hope someone helps Mirjana because it would be great if she could come back. :hug:

Freakan

May 7th, 2006, 08:17 PM

I really hope she comes back fit, strong and healthy :yeah:
"My time on the court will come again," Lucic says. "I promise you that. Everybody on the outside may think, 'Oh, she'll never do it, she's been away too long,' but nobody can put limitations on you but yourself." :worship: I love her attitude :hearts:

Lennval

May 7th, 2006, 08:56 PM

poor Mirjana...

Carmen Mairena

May 7th, 2006, 09:01 PM

:hug:

tennismaster8820

May 7th, 2006, 09:58 PM

I don't believe that she will come back! She was saying that also before and she never made it! She is ignoring her physical shape! When I see her slim and fit then I'll believe her!

Shenanigans

May 7th, 2006, 10:11 PM

It's strange to think her and Amélie were junior rivals and both had promising futures ahead of them and look at them now.

mn73

May 7th, 2006, 11:25 PM

Best of luck Mirjana :lick:

And three cheers for Goran :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

selesfan1

May 8th, 2006, 12:05 AM

I may just be pulling stuff out of my butt with this but I remember a couple of years back the tournmanet director in Estoril or Porto offered her a qualifying wild card and she rejected it.

Here is an exceprt from an interview in Tennis Magazine from the December 1998/January 1999 issue

Daddy Dearest
Shortly before the U.S. Open, 16 year old Mirjana lucic went public with allegations that her father, Marinko, had abused her physically and mentally throughout her childhood. In a Tennis exclusive, she reveals the dramatic tale of her flight to freedom. By Cindy Shmerler

Mirjana Lucic is nestled in an oversized couch tucked in a corner of a midtown Manhattan hotel.She is wearing tight, black cropped pants, a matching tank top and high heeled black Chanel shoes that were purchased on Madison Avenue earlier in the day.

(End of Exceprt)

So apparently she went on some shopping spree. It also mentions her sister bought some fendi or something like that. I am sorry but if my future is uncertain and I have $23,000 and just escaped from a rough environment Chanel is the last thing on my mind.

Roger Federer doesn't have a coach

If Mirjana wanted to make a comeback here is what she could do.

Look up players who only typically play during the summer because of college or whatever reason or she is in southern florida I am sure some juniors will be playing satellites in the states. She calls them up and says hey, I want to make a comeback could we maybe share a car and hotel room and drive to Dallas, Edmond,Wichita, and South Lake? ( I mention these becasue they are relatively close to each other geographically and close on the satellite calendar.) I am sure she could get a Library card to use the internet at the library if she doesn't have a computer and a free yahoo account to communicate with them.She could also call the athletic departments at universities and ask for info about the players.

She requests Wild Cards ( she would probably get them) and she would probably at least get to the semi finals in those events.If she doesnt' get wild cards, well good, she qualifies and at least gets some points for qualifying, points she wouldn't get if she lost in the first round.

She calls a clothing company like Tail or Under armour, and I am sure they would at least giver her $50,000 because she could potentially be a high profile player, heck, she already is in many ways.

So, after these 4 events the worst case scenario is she is out $20,000 and has 3 WTA points which puts her around 1200 in the world but at least she can start getting on satellite main draw lists and some challenger qualifying and maybe a couple of Wild Cards into 75k draws.

Best case scenario after these 4 events she gets around 20 points( wins, semis, finals) and is ranked in the 500's t0 600's and earned about $4,000 dollars ( more if she plays doubles) and gets direct entry into challengers.

I don't buy the coach thing because probably 80% of the girls on tour don't have a travelling coach. Federer doesn't even have a coach.

Drake1980

May 8th, 2006, 01:09 AM

I love her, I hope she comes back

Tennis Fool

May 8th, 2006, 01:23 AM

Is this the story of Dokic's in two years :confused:

What is it with players whose names end in "ic"?

apoet29

May 8th, 2006, 01:41 AM

I was shocked and saddened to read this article about Mirjana. I knew that her father was abusive, but I had no idea it was that bad. It is truly ashame that her family went through so much abuse and I am glad that they are now safe and away from that dog (I won't even give him the privilege of calling him a man, a husband or a father.).

Nevertheless, I get the impression from the article that Mirjana is still living in the past. I get the impression that she feels that she truly deserves a high profile sponsor because she was a promising player 8 years ago. That's almost a lifetime in sports. If Mirjana was truly serious about playing tennis again, she would do whatever it took to do so: working the satellite circuit, traveling without a coach, perhaps getting a job to raise money to travel in the U.S. As many here have pointed out, even Roger Federer does not have a coach and for many players, it is not a prerequisite to have a coach in order to be successful. I do feel sorry for her, but I also get the impression that she is using what happened to her in her past as an excuse for why she is not playing now.

I hope that Mirjana can rejoin the tour one day, but I don't see it happening.

Thanks to the Cat for posting this. I hope you are well. BTW, I disagree with you that Anna should sponsor her. Anna is not responsible for Mirjana's career. Besides, I would rather see Anna spend that money on the Boys and Girls Club than on Lucic.

KBdoubleu

May 8th, 2006, 02:18 AM

aww Mirjana....hopefully she can have a great comeback!!

Mark Spruce

May 8th, 2006, 02:59 AM

I feel so sorry for her.

I wish her all the best and would love to see her back so much !!!

Sharapova's_Boy

May 8th, 2006, 03:12 AM

Mirjana :hug:

CoryAnnAvants#1

May 8th, 2006, 07:37 AM

If she wants money, there are lots of ways to do it. 10K tournaments for one. If she wanted a wildcard to a 10K, she'd get one. If bagel girls like Amy Dillingham can get them, she sure as hell can get one too. She lives in Florida, where there are amateur prize money tournaments just about every friggin weekend. She can work a regular job mornings and focus on tennis in the afternoon.

Bottom line, she's either going to play at a top tour level or not even bother. Look at the article. She's going to graduate to WTA Tour level after TWELVE tournaments? And if she doesn't? Then what? Is she just going to quit again?

I feel bad for the girl and I sincerely hope she is willing to make it to back. However, I just don't think she has that "whatever it takes" attitude. I think she's holding out for one big run at a WTA tournament or something along that line to avoid going through the minor league grind.

Miranda

May 8th, 2006, 09:45 AM

i don't understand, she managed to escape from her father in dec 98, and then she had good results at wimby 99, so it seems that she has put aside her father's abuse already, how come her results are even poorer before she was with her father :confused:

MLF

May 8th, 2006, 09:52 AM

i don't understand, she managed to escape from her father in dec 98, and then she had good results at wimby 99, so it seems that she has put aside her father's abuse already, how come her results are even poorer before she was with her father

No, the Wimbledon run was a bit of a two week wonder for Mirjana. Her ranking had slipped well into the 100s by that point so the Wimbledon run saved her for 12 months or so. Her results were definitely better under her father's "guidance".

Thanks for posting the article to the thread starter.

genius

May 8th, 2006, 11:44 AM

To me, if i have to be objective about it , i think there has been some indiscipline(especially if solomon is to be believed) and weakness of character.

Ok the problems she had may be very severe but to come out of them you need to show a high level of discipline and sustained resilience. Maybe she was too young to handle it and no one could guide her properly.

esquímaux

May 8th, 2006, 12:50 PM

:haha:Yeah, I thought the same :o

SM

May 8th, 2006, 01:29 PM

as a fan of jelena dokic, and mirjana (to a lesser extent), these kind of stories are heart breaking. theyre both way too talented names and should be in the commitment lists for tier 1s...

vogus

May 8th, 2006, 03:15 PM

as a fan of jelena dokic, and mirjana (to a lesser extent), these kind of stories are heart breaking. theyre both way too talented names and should be in the commitment lists for tier 1s...

Boo hoo. There are a ton of talented players. For every Dokic and Lucic who waste their opportunities, there are 20 more girls you've never heard of lining up to jump into their spots. The tennis world keeps turning.

the cat

May 8th, 2006, 03:49 PM

Selesfan1, you have a good gameplan for Mirjana's comeback. But I don't know if she will view herself like the minor league tennis players see themselves. I think apoet is correct with how Lucic is living in the past thinking she should still have a major sponsor because she was a top prospect a long time ago. If she really thinks this then she's probably not being realistic with herself about making a comeback. I think she should start her comeback by proving herself in some Challengers and then moving up to some small WTA tourmaments.

P.S. - It hasn't been talked about much but I'm shocked that the article states that the alleged damage IMG did to Lucic's career exceeds 10 million dollars! :eek: :( If that's true I would like to see IMG brought to justice for this.

cynicole

May 9th, 2006, 04:47 AM

Whew, just got to see this article today. I remember watching Mirjana during the summer of 2002 and she was playing pretty damn well. Then she lost very stupidly to Venus Williams in the 1st round of the USO to the tune of 6-0 6-0 (very dumb, hit everything hard but hitting them waaaaay out tennis) and then totally disappeared.

And then there was that really strange case at RG 2003 where she was found to have been caught for doping. And it was documented that the anti-depressants that caused it (and I think that now, those same meds aren't even on the banned list anymore).

I think I believe half of the stuff in the article. And I know I've heard Gavin Forbes's name tied in with something weird before but I can't remember what. I do have a very hard time believing that IMG purposely tried to undermine her. Why would they waste their time doing that? Maybe they were incompetent (how do you not manage to wrangle enough endorsement money for a Wimbledon semifinalist?)

The thing is, I can't help but think there have been other girls who've had the same hijinks pulled on them.

I feel sorry for Mirjana Lucic. I really do. Her past as an abuse victim had really set her up to be vulnerable to suggestions made by all sorts of people she and her mother believed would help them. And perhaps they were so accustomed to the "control" that Marinko had over the details of their lives that they have developed some messed up trust issues.

Here's the quotes though that say it all for me and they both come at the end:

"If somebody finds it in their heart to help her, she's going to do great things, believe me"

and

"The talent's there....To me it's all about whether she's willing to make the commitment over an extended period of time. She's a sweet girl. I always liked her. It would be a great story if she could come back and do it."

In short, Mirjana needs to help herself.

As someone mentioned earlier, Mirjana already lives in Florida which has more tournaments than we can count. Granted, she doesn't have a car but couldn't she move somewhere where she can have better access to public transportation or make friends with some people who have cars, network and arrange her own rides?

esquímaux

May 9th, 2006, 04:51 AM

Is this the story of Dokic's in two years :confused:

What is it with players whose names end in "ic"?Ivanovic??? :scared:

NyCPsU

May 9th, 2006, 04:55 AM

when i read this in the paper i was really upset by it, but even though her attitude is really great i dont see her coming back successfully...just not fit...i hope im wrong though

btw weird they had an article on this, bc that paper never goes into tennis heavily. Lucky if we even get a Wimbledon article.:o

tennisbear7

May 9th, 2006, 06:58 AM

I hope someone with truckloads of cash, like the Williams sisters or Davenport, or even Kim will support her.

Serena, Venus, Lindsay and Kim, I'm sure, would all spare 0.0000000000001% of their earnings to help the once troubled girl.

Kuti Kis&Monica

May 9th, 2006, 10:11 AM

Well, she also could play the WTT in States this summer if she'd wanna play against good girls to see where is her level right now and earn some money

Martian Jeza

May 9th, 2006, 10:37 AM

i don't understand, she managed to escape from her father in dec 98, and then she had good results at wimby 99, so it seems that she has put aside her father's abuse already, how come her results are even poorer before she was with her father :confused:

There are things you never or have very difficult to forget ! I can't imagine myself being beaten by my father what happened with Mirjana...

Those completly nuts dads like Dockic and Mirjana's ones have to be put in jail lifelong ! How can you beat your daughter ? It's truly disgusting ! Any man beating a girl/woman/ his daughter is a coward ! Such things make me ashamed of being a man.

I would like to help you Mirjana but I don't have enough money on my wallet but I wish you to find the money needed to come back to the courts : 1. having fun again on the courts ; 2. Making some great results ; 3. Getting consistant results ! She has to go step by step.

tennismaster8820

May 9th, 2006, 04:11 PM

Boo hoo. There are a ton of talented players. For every Dokic and Lucic who waste their opportunities, there are 20 more girls you've never heard of lining up to jump into their spots. The tennis world keeps turning.

There were not many girls in the past or present that had such a talent like Mirjana! But it's true, tennis world keeps turning!

WhatTheDeuce

May 12th, 2006, 08:27 PM

:dance:

AsGoodAsNew

May 12th, 2006, 08:43 PM

I may just be pulling stuff out of my butt with this but I remember a couple of years back the tournmanet director in Estoril or Porto offered her a qualifying wild card and she rejected it.

Here is an exceprt from an interview in Tennis Magazine from the December 1998/January 1999 issue

Daddy Dearest
Shortly before the U.S. Open, 16 year old Mirjana lucic went public with allegations that her father, Marinko, had abused her physically and mentally throughout her childhood. In a Tennis exclusive, she reveals the dramatic tale of her flight to freedom. By Cindy Shmerler

Mirjana Lucic is nestled in an oversized couch tucked in a corner of a midtown Manhattan hotel.She is wearing tight, black cropped pants, a matching tank top and high heeled black Chanel shoes that were purchased on Madison Avenue earlier in the day.

So apparently she went on some shopping spree. It also mentions her sister bought some fendi or something like that. I am sorry but if my future is uncertain and I have $23,000 and just escaped from a rough environment Chanel is the last thing on my mind.

Roger Federer doesn't have a coach

If Mirjana wanted to make a comeback here is waht she could do.

Look up players who only typically play during the summer becasue of college or whatever reason or she is in southern florida I am sure some juniors will be playing satellites in the states. She calls them up and says hey, I want to make a comeback could we maybe share a car and hotel room and drive to Dallas, Edmond,Wichita, and South Lake? ( I mention these becasue they are relatively close to each other geographically and close on the satellite calendar.) I am sure she could get a Library card to use the internet at the library if she doesn't have a computer and a free yahoo account to communicate with them.She could also call the athletic departments at universities and ask for info about the players.

She requests Wild Cards ( she would probably get them) and she would probably at least get to the semi finals in those events.If she doesnt' get wild cards, well good, she qualifies and at least gets some points for qualifying, points she wouldn't get if she lost in the first round.

She calls a clothing company like Tail or Under armour, and I am sure they would at least giver her $50,000 because she could potentially be a high profile player, heck, she already is in many ways.

So, after these 4 events the worst case scenario is she is out $20,000 and has 3 WTA points which puts her around 1200 in the world but at least she can start getting on satellite main draw lists and some challenger qualifying and maybe a couple of Wild Cards into 75k draws.

Best case scenario after these 4 events she gets around 20 points( wins, semis, finals) and is ranked in the 500's t0 600's and earned about $4,000 dollars ( more if she plays doubles) and gets direct entry into challengers.

I don't buy the coach thing because probably 80% of the girls on tour don't have a travelling coach. Federer doesn't even have a coach.
Is this the article or your views?

AsGoodAsNew

May 12th, 2006, 08:49 PM

We all on here have obviously had charmed, or at least sedantary, lives. Children who are abused have issues that never leave them. They make bad decisions and react the way the rest of us don't.

I remember Mirjana from that wonderful semi final run at Wimbly before she lost to Steffi. Hingis always spoke so highly of Mirjana. I have posted on here about Mirjana a couple of times. I would love her to return. Mirjana just needs a chance. And if that means a little more assistance than others who have not gone through what she as, then let her have that help.

selesfan1

May 13th, 2006, 12:20 AM

Is this the article or your views?

I thought it was clear waht was the excerpt and waht were my views but I have gone back and changed it to avoid further confusion.